Chapter 13
' All Is Fair In Love And War '
Jeffrey Creedy looked up from the files that lay on his desk when the door opened. " Sir, surveillance has them at the laboratory now."
" Wonderful!" The grin that appeared on his lips reflected the emotional state of the Norsefire leader-----one of intense gratitude. " Put Operation Darkness into full mode. "
" Yes, sir. Right away." The young man saluted and hurried from the office.
Creedy moved to stand by the window, staring out into the night sky. " It's almost over now, my friend----my revenge will be complete, and you will hurt the same way I did." He walked back to the desk, and took the top photograph in his hands. Dark eyes smiled up from the happy scene, and Creedy tore the picture ascender, throwing the pieces into the wastebasket, then continued to stare out the window.
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People ran within the stone walls as they were captured and black bags were slid into place over their heads. The Captain watched as he cradled the automatic rifle lovingly in his arms. So far ten or eleven had been captured------ the rest, either in hiding or escaped the chaos that rained down upon them in the early morning hours. The buildings doors were thrown open and the prisoners were dragged toward the waiting black vans. Two soldiers approached the Captain, a struggling figure being held in a grasp between them.
" Where do you want this one, sir?" One of the armed soldiers asked upon approach.
" Is this Creedy's prize?" The Captain asked, eying the figure.
" Yes, sir."
" In my car, then. "
" Yes, sir." The soldier replied grabbing the arm and dragging the figure with him.
" Hey! Not so rough! Creedy wants no broken pieces." The Captain yelled.
" Sorry, sir."
The Captain looked around as the last of the soldiers brought the people out, and he slammed the doors closed behind him. His work here was done, now it was up to Creedy to put the rest of his plan into action.
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Evey looked at the watch----less than one minute to go. She felt the child within her move, and she placed a hand gently upon her abdomen. " Sh-h-h-h...." She ran her hand over her swollen stomach as her other hand pushed the red blinking light, and she closed her eyes.
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The lab went up like a roman candle as the explosions went off all along the perimeter, and V stood along with Finch, Stone and Logan watching as the building burst into orange-red flames lapping at the night sky
"Glorious, isn't it?" V asked no one in particular. " Now, the new world is free to grow."
Finch looked over at him. " Now, I know how you felt that night when Larkhill went up."
V tilted his head toward Finch.. " No, Inspector, you will never know how I felt that night------no one will."
Finch nodded slowly, lighting his pipe, and inhaling deeply. " I guess not."
" Inspector Finch!" He heard his name called frantically, and looked around to see one of his men hurrying toward him. " Sir, you are needed at the communications truck now!" The man stopped by Finch's side, then looked at V. " You better come too."
" What's going on, son?" Finch asked as he and V moved off with the young officer, followed by Stone. " We have an incoming message from Jeffrey Creedy, sir."
" Creedy?" Finch asked as he stepped into the truck followed by V.
" Yes, sir. You can take it here." The man led them to where a monitor was hooked up, and Jeffrey Creedy's face smiled at them.
" What do you want, Creedy? Norsefire is gone." Finch said as he braced himself with his hands on the desktop. " You're finished."
" Who do you think you are, Finch!? I'm still the Chancellor----don't ever forget that! Is that maniacal son-of-a-bitch there with you?" His face grew closer as he moved forward.
" I am here Creedy." V spoke , his voice dark with hatred for the man before him.
" There you are, you bloody bastard!" Creedy snarled at the image on the monitor in front of him. " You think you have answers to everything, don't you? Let's see if you have an answer for this!" He motioned off camera, and three figures came into range. Two holding onto a small struggling form, a black bag over the head. Reaching over, Creedy removed the bag, and Victoria squinted at the bright lights.
V took a deep intake of breath as he looked at his daughter's white face. " Victoria....."
Creedy grinned as he took her chin roughly by his hand. " Say hello to your daddy, poppet."
Victoria stared into the camera. " Father?"
" I'm here, Victoria. " V's hand reached toward the screen. " If you harm her, Creedy...."
" You'll what?" He spat, " Kill me like you killed my father?"
" I will slit you from neck to stomach, and watch you slowly die." V replied through clenched teeth.
" You righteous, fuckin' bastard! You have one hour to turn yourself in, or I will be forced to use your daughter as a lab rat for our newest virus----V19. One hour-----come alone. I'll be waiting." Creedy laughed as the screen went black.
" I'll get a squad together....."
" No, Eric. " V looked at him, " I have to do this myself. She is my daughter."
" …..and she is my goddaughter." Finch replied as his eyes hardened. " I won't let you go in there alone, V. No matter how good you are. I want a piece of that bastard myself."
A slow grin started under the mask. " You are a true friend, Eric." V looked at him.
Finch took a deep breath. " Then, let's do this!" He turned to Stone. " Dom, keep track of the building, round anyone up that crawls, runs or walks from that inferno. Take them downtown and book them."
" Right Chief." Stone turned to Logan. " I could use you and a couple of your men."
" What do you want us to do?" Logan smiled at the young man.
" Do a sweep of the perimeter, if you find anyone, string them up like a Christmas goose and transport back to Scotland Yard." Stone watched as V and Finch moved off into the darkness. " I'm going inside and see if anyone is still alive in there."
Logan nodded in agreement and moved off with six of his men, while Stone a four others started toward the burning debris.
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Evey flipped the surveillance monitors on in the computer room and sat down in V's leather chair. The support felt good against her back as she entered commands into the system via the keyboard. In a few minutes, the direct link V had to the BNN came alive with reporters describing the scene behind them------ One of the government's newest medical research facilities had been destroyed when a gas leak had ignited inside one of the labs. So far 34 people were dead. Evey prayed that Eric, Dominic or V was not among them. It was a matter of seconds before Dominic's face
appeared on camera explaining what had happened. According to the story he was fabricating , an experiment being conducted in the lab had exploded because of a gas leak----seemed that everything had gone to V's plan. Evey sighed a breath of relief---if anything had happened to V, Dominic would have tried to get a message via the telecast to her in the code she and Finch had created. She pushed away from the monitors and rose, slowly making her way toward the kitchen, and something to calm her frazzled nerves, and right now, chocolate seemed most appropriate.
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V left Finch by a grove of trees close to the back of a dark windowless building that they now stood a few feet away from. V had triangulated the building's location from the video signal that had been broadcast to the mobile command center. Eric had called for silent backup before V had left his side, and assured the masked man, that help was on the way if need be, to which V had very politely told him that it was not necessary, then turned and walked away. Finch left out a long breath, and pulled his pipe from his jacket pocket, watching as the masked man vanished into the shadows.
The cloaked figure moved to the north side of the building, there removing a knife from his belt, he pushed the blade into the frame of the window and jiggled it quietly until the lock popped. Once inside, V carefully made his way through the maze of hallways until he reached a dead end-------- several guards standing near a door. Taking another knife in his hand, he left them fly through the air, the first one catching the middle of the guard's forehead, propelling him into the opposite wall; the second guard didn't fair much better, the knife embedding in his stomach, up to the hilt. V walked silently to them, reaching down and pulling the first knife from the man's head with a crunching sound, the second knife slid out with a whoosh as a river of blood gushed onto the carpeted floor. He wiped the crimson liquid from the knives on the man's coat before he slid them smoothly back into the belt, then froze.
" Hold it right there, chummy. " A voice spoke from behind him. " Hands up.....now!"
V raised his hands above his head, and turned slowly. " London's finest still continue to amaze me for being so johnny-on-the-spot."
" We've been waiting for you." The young officer smiled slyly at the masked man before him.
V counted the number of guards that now surrounded him-----there were 10 in all------one more than Creedy had the night of his death.
" Keep an eye on him----if he even breaths, kill him." The young man ordered as he reached for the buckle of the knife belt.
V felt his muscles begin to resonate with the long familiar vibration he had grown so accustom to when his brain was about to fire commands to his muscle and nerve endings----taking a deep breath, he stood, not moving a muscle as he was relieved of his knives. He knew that this would be the only way he would be able to get to Victoria without her being killed. An officer pulled one arm behind his back, securing it with handcuffs, then the other, and V smiled under the mask.
" Let's go, Creedy wants to see you." Two of the fingermen grabbed V by his arms and led him down the hallway, while several others held cocked and loaded weapons on his back.
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Finch watched as two vans approached with their lights out, his backup had arrived and began unloading. The black snipper uniforms they wore blended in with the surrounding darkness, and Finch lost track of their movements before they came to stand by him.
" Glad to see you, Chief." A heavyset man with dark hair smiled from beneath the combat helmet.
"Finch shook his head in acknowledgement. " Williams, take your section and make your way around to the north side of the building. " He ordered as a young man came to stand by him.
" What about us, Chief?" He asked.
" Rodriquez, take your men and circle to the south. Nobody fires unless on my orders----is that clear?" Finch spoke as he pulled his walkie-talkie from his coat pocket. " Monitor channel 12 for further instructions. These men are dangerous, and I want Creedy alive----if possible."
Both men nodded their head in agreement. " Alright, lets go!"
Finch watched as the swat team disappeared into the night.
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V hit the side of the cell wall as he was tossed in, the door closing behind him with a loud clank. Fire burned in the eyes beneath the dark slits of the mask, and he felt rage growing. " No....I must stay calm....for Victoria's sake." He spoke to himself as he got to his feet, and walked over to the door, resting the mask against the cold steel----listening for any small amount of noise.
" Let me go!" He heard a girl's shrill voice scream as she fought against her captors.
" Victoria!" V called from the cell.
" Father! " The voice responded, then fell silent.
" Victoria!?" V called, " Victoria!?"
" Missing her already, codename V?" A voice chuckled from the other side of the door as the small window opened, and Jeffrey Creedy looked into the dark eye slits of the man who had killed his father.
" If you harm her----"
" I don't intend to hurt her, actually, I need both of you to help me with my experiments." Creedy grinned at him. " You see, I already have the virus now, all I need is the antidote----one that is already being made from the last samples of your blood. I'm simply going to inject your daughter with the virus, and wait. Then when the time is right, we'll see just how well the serum works." Creedy looked away from the window. " Bring it."
V didn't have time to prepare for the dart that smashed into his right arm. From behind his back, hands suddenly appeared as he pulled the offensive projectile from his shoulder, then slammed into the steel door, making Creedy jump back several feet.
" Once he's under, bring him to the lab."
" You are a dead man, Creedy." V looked at the man, vengeance already filling his veins as he began feeling lightheaded, then quietly slipped into darkness.
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Evey looked up at the clock----3:45am it read. Where was V? Where was Gordon? She had tried to contact Ravensclaw, but there was no answer. Something was terribly wrong---she felt it in her bones. There had always been someone at Ravensclaw-------she hurried into the main gallery in search of the cell phone when the security sensor went off announcing the arrival of someone at the gallery perimeter. Hurrying to the portrait of Ophelia, she reached her hand behind the canvass and searched until she grasped the pommel of one of V's hidden knives, pulling it from its hiding place. Standing in the center of the gallery, Evey waited for the doorway to open, the knife posed in her hand
The figure pushed on the heavy door until it swung open, then stepping inside, saw the young woman and took a quick step backwards. " Evey, it's me, Gordon."
Evey stared at the figure in front of her. It certainly did not look like Gordon, but the voice was his. " Gordon?" She questioned softly.
" Yes, it's the mask, isn't it?" He sighed heavily, " I told V not to make me look too old."
" What are you doing here----is everything ok?" Evey laid the knife on the table and hurried to Gordon's side.
" No.....no Evey, things are not alright. " He took the hat from his head, threw it atop the piano and proceeded to remove the heavy topcoat and scarf. " They took them-----all of them......"
" Took what---Gordon, you're making no sense......what happened?" Evey led him to the media room and sat him on the couch.
" They came to the house-----dropped black bags on everyone-----I escaped through the secret passage in the library------I couldn't get to her in time......" He lowered his head as his voice dropped off.
" Her-----her who?" Evey shivered as a dreadful thought grasped her mind. " Gordon, please------where's Victoria?"
He looked up into dark amber eyes. " They have her-----Norsefire......"
" Oh....my....god...." Evey breathed as everything began falling into place. That was the reason V hadn't returned yet-----he had gone after Victoria----to save his daughter!
" He'll get her, Evey." Gordon put his arm around her shoulders as she stumbled onto the couch. " He won't let anything happen to her."
" I know." She tried to smile at him, but tears broke through the staunch facade she desperately tried to hang onto.
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Victoria studied the quite form that lay to the left of her. " Father-----please wake up, please." She whimpered. She tugged on the leather straps that held her securely to the metal table. There was no movement from the man beside her. Quickly, her eyes glanced over his body. He was still breathing, the cape, knife belt and hat had been removed, but the mask still remained intact along with the gloves. She pulled harder on the straps, and felt them give way somewhat. With a more determined yank, the restraints pulled loose from the table and fell away. A smile of surprise crept across Victoria's lips, she turned her head to the right and watched as her strength released the restraints from that wrist also. Sitting up, she tore away the restraints holding her ankles, and slid from the table, hurrying to V's side. " Father!" She whispered urgently near his ear. " Father!" She shook him roughly. They had to get out of here before Creedy returned. Looking around, she spotted V's things laying on a nearby table.
She grabbed one of the knives and returned to his side and quietly slid the blade under the restraint and pulled upward. Hurrying to his feet, she once again inserted the knife between the ankle and restraint.
" That will not be necessary, Victoria." A groggy voice interrupted her, and she looked up in time to see her father slowly rip the restraint from his other wrist, and struggle to sit up. She took his hand and helped him. Closing his eyes, V shook his heads in the hope of clearing the cobwebs from his drugged mind. " Are you alright?"
" Yes, are you?" She hugged his neck tightly, then let go, watching as V ripped the leather from his ankles.
" I'll be fine." He looked around the room. " Where are my things?"
" Your knives are over there." Victoria pointed toward a table.
V stumbled slowly toward them. Within seconds, the belt was once again snuggly around his waist. " We must leave here, now....."
The words were no sooner spoken from his mouth, when the door swung open, and guards entered, followed closely by Peter Creedy. " Shoot them!"
In a split second, Victoria was pushed behind V's back, and two knives appeared in each of his hands, then let go, each blade finding a target deep within a guard's chest. Victoria heard the firing mechanism of guns pull back before the shooting began------and she jumped out beside her father, the knife blade glinting in her small hand as she began the 'Dance of Death', as her mother referred to it, and started toward the closest guard to her. One other guard remained beside Creedy, and V started toward them, pulling another knife from the chest of a dead guard. The last guard took aim and began firing at the onrushing man, catching V in several spots as bullets shredded through his black jacket.
" Father!" Victoria screamed as her knife made contact with the soft flesh of the guard's neck, and a spray of blood spewed from the gapping wound, covering her shoulders. She watched as V's knives made contact with the last guard just as his weapon froze up. The tip of the blade drove in the man's thigh, raising him several feet in the air as V's other knife penetrated the rib cage driving him down to the floor before the first knife had exited his leg. Rising shakily to his feet, V spun toward Creedy, fury boiling in his veins. He glanced quickly over at Victoria to make sure she was ok, giving Creedy the break he needed. He pulled a small derringer from his jacket pocket and took aim at the back of V's head.
" Father!" Victoria cried as she let the knife fly from her hand, each arc a thing of beauty as it traveled toward Creedy, and landed with a sicking thud as it severed his carotid artery, and he fell to the floor, dead.
V turned to where she stood, covered in blood. He had her in his arms in a matter of seconds as he searched for injuries. " Are you ok?"
" Yes, " Victoria looked up into the mask's dark eyes. " But, you're bleeding. We've got to get you out of here.....back to the gallery where mother can take care of you."
" It's just a few scratches, " he tried to reassure her, " I'll be fine."
" Call Uncle Eric, or do I need to?" She asked, a stubborn look in her eyes, as she pressed a nearby towel to V's shoulder.
V's mask tilted down. " How do you know Eric is here?"
" Before they put the bag back over my head, I saw him and the others standing by the trees." She answered, " I guess no one else did but me."
' Oh dear lord, ' V thought to himself, ' she showing my mutated abilities." He grabbed his cloak and reached into one of the inner pockets, pulling out a small communication device. " Old Man, this is Shadowghost, do you copy?"
" Copy Shadowghost-----what the devil is going on in there? Are you two alright?"
V squeezed Victoria to him. " Copy Old Man, we're both ok, but patchwork will be needed, copy?"
" Copy Shadowghost, we're coming in. Any squatters around that we need to know about?"
" Possibly. Recommend that you use extreme caution when approaching."
" 10-4. Old Man out."
V slid down beside the wall, and propped his head against it. " Where did you learn to fight like that?"
" Mother." Victoria smiled up at him, as she snuggled under his arm, her arm sliding around his waist, her head resting on his chest. " She wanted me to be able to protect myself as I got older."
" Ah." V answered as he closed his eyes.
" Are you sure you're alright? I know that you took some bullets from those guards." Victoria pressed.
" I have a total of six wounds, all in my extremities, no vital organs were hit." V answered.
" Is it true what Mum said about you?"
" What is that?"
" That you can heal yourself because of some things that happened to you." Victoria replied.
" Yes, it's true." V sighed as he heard Finch and his team approaching down the hallway.
" What happened?" She asked.
" I'll tell you about it someday, my heart, but not right now....."
" Promise?"
V pulled her to him. " Promise."
" V?" He heard Finch calling.
" Would you go fetch your Uncle?" V asked as he removed his arm from Victoria.
" Yeah......" Victoria rose onto her knees." I love you." She hugged his neck tightly, then hurried toward the door.
V smiled under the mask, Norsefire was now truly done, he had found the love of his life, but most of all, he had found a daughter. His world was now complete.